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GEEX: Glass Education Exchange

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Next week! Join the first BIPOC Community Table meeting of 2025–26 on Thursday, October 22, from 5 to 6:30PM US-Central.

🤎 “Please save the date for the first meeting: a semi-formal meeting that will introduce existing BIPOC community members to each other and welcome new members. We highly encourage newbies to come and be a part of the community!” @abi.akindude @inezgarciaart @simms_key

💚 The BIPOC Community Table (BCT) has provided an online space for BIPOC glass artists and craftspeople to build community since Spring 2021. Co-facilitated by Abigail Akindude, Inez Garcia, and Kiani Simms, the BCT aims to foster supportive relationships and uplift one another’s work.

🤝 If you’d like to support the growth of this group, contact support(at)geex(dot)glass to sponsor an upcoming gathering. GEEX is proud to watch this group continue to expand and evolve.

➜ Want to register for the BCT? Read the Code of Conduct and sign up on the GEEX website. NEWBIES WELCOME [various emojis related to glass art, professional practice, and Abigail Akindude, Inez Garcia, and Kiani Simms] BIPOC COMMUNITY TABLE Virtual Gathering October 22, 2026 5:00-6:30pm US-Central by @geexglass

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7 hours ago

Dear reader…

The first GEEX Journal began as a handmade zine in a limited edition of 50. Now, as a proper Journal with a capital J, our team aimed to position the second volume within a broader history of glass, contemporary craft, fine art, and artist-driven publications.

Swipe through! ➡️ Read snippets from the Letter from the Editors and learn about the giants whose shoulders we stand upon.

(Or: read the entire letter in your own personal copy of the GEEX Journal. Visit the GEEX Shop linked in our bio.)

With gratitude and tenacity,
The GEEX Team
𝘑𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘍𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘴 (@jeanmfernandes)
𝘌𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 (@emilymleach)
𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘓𝘦𝘦 (@hotpinknoise)
𝘉𝘦𝘯 𝘖𝘳𝘰𝘻𝘤𝘰 (@bexoro)

—
A. Different from the Glass Art Magazine of today, this publication was printed in four volumes from 1973–76 in Oakland, California.

B. Corning Museum of Glass’ Contemporary Glass was the predecessor to today’s New Glass Review. (@corningmuseum)

C. In 1980, Contemporary Glass became the New Glass Review. (@corningmuseum)

Longstanding publications such as Glass Quarterly, Neues Glas – New Glass, and New Glass Review originated in the late 70s and early 80s, and few (if any) new voices have entered the printed realm since then.

Print as a medium itself is complicated in today’s economic landscape. Organizations like the American Craft Council are transitioning their 84-year old publication, American Craft, to an online-only format. Meanwhile, the Glass Art Society’s online GASnews has been on hiatus since Fall 2024.

—
Image: detail of Glass Art Magazine, 1973.

The GEEX team is encouraged by the spectrum of efforts—from scrappy artists to established organizations—to put pen to paper in capturing a record of the contemporary glass landscape.

GEEX has long championed the role of writing and publishing in the field of glass, prioritizing resources like the GEEX Writing Center and the GEEX Talks lecture series. The GEEX Journal extends this value, and enters the publishing realm in a varied landscape.

At the same time, the GEEX team draws inspiration from many instances in the past decade of artist-led writing that build out aspects of glass knowledge derived direc Clockwise from left: Glass Art Magazine, New Glass Review 1, and The Corning Museum of Glass's Contemporary Glass. LETTER FROM THE editors, GEEX Journal Vol Ii by @geexglass

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“If there's a disco ball, I’ll photograph it.” For the last ten years, artist and curator Andres Payan Estrada (@andres_payan) has been building a photographic collection of disco balls in queer nightlife spaces.

“This collection that I'm holding right now is specifically the disco balls from the queer night life spaces along the U.S.-Mexico border, which is the focus of these new collages.” In this episode of GEEX Shorts, Andres offers a look into his creative process alongside a glimpse at the works in progress inside his home studio.

“A lot of my studio practice has been based at my house. You get a sneak peek of some of the other stuff that I usually do here in the studio, like my little station that I made over the pandemic to teach myself how to do lampworking,” Andres explains. “I've been making [glass beads] from the broken beer bottles that I collected from different nightlife spaces.”

“You always have to be sure that you're safe in what you're doing,” Andres continues. “In the case of these disco balls: acknowledging that my hands can only do so much. What other tools are available that potentially start bridging these narratives of both the material and the handmade?”

To learn more, check out "Many Moons: Andres Payan Estrada on Documenting Queer Bars on the U.S.-Mexico Border" on YouTube! This short segment is part of Andres’ GEEX Talks episode, accessible in the GEEX Talks Subscriber Archive.

➜ Watch Andres Payan Estrada’s GEEX Shorts episode now! Link in bio. by @geexglass

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2 days ago

Meet your 2026–27 BIPOC Community Table facilitators!

💚 Abigail Akindude (@abi.akindude) has been a co-facilitator since Fall 2024. Abigail (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist and electrician who fell in love with glass after taking classes and participating in the Bead Project at UrbanGlass. She is an alum of Brooklyn College and Hunter College who loves reading and dog watching.

🤎🆕 Inez Garcia (@inezgarciaart) is joining the BIPOC Community Table (BCT) co-facilitators this year! Inez (she/her) is an Alfred University alum who creates interdisciplinary art and specializes in community-engaged works and conservation. She loves spending time outdoors trail running and rock climbing in the Wasatch Mountains.

💚 Kiani Simms (@simms_key) has been a co-facilitator since Fall 2024. Kiani (she/her) is an Emporia State University alum, therapist, and glass artist based in Kansas. Her favorite glass pieces to make are flowers and birds.

📆 Save the date! In two weeks, come to the BIPOC Community Table’s virtual gathering on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 5 to 6:30 PM US-Central. Meet more community members (and introduce yourself)!

➜ Want to register for the BCT? Read the Code of Conduct and sign up on the GEEX website. BIPOC Community Table co-facilitators, from left to right: Abigail Akindude, Inez Garcia, and Kiani Simms. by @geexglass

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6 days ago

Reflecting on the overarching theme, Material Life Cycles: Sand, Glass, and Practice, the preface to GEEX Journal Volume II gathers foundational works and key references considered by the GEEX team throughout the volume's creation.

Order your copy of the GEEX Journal today—link in bio!

—

Works featured:
1–2. Markus Kayser, “Solar Sinter”, 2011. Photos by Amos Field Reid, courtesy of the artist.
3. Ruth Yone Tamura, “The Great Marble Tournament on Bay Fill”, 1969. Courtesy of CCA Libraries.
4. Anna Elizabeth Riley, “The Stone for Burning”, 2016–18. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Markus Kayser (@kayser_markus)
𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳
Royal College of Art
London, Egypt, and Morrocco
2011

“In a world increasingly concerned with questions of energy production and raw material shortages, this project explores the potential of desert manufacturing, where energy and material occur in abundance.”

“In this experiment, sunlight and sand are used as raw energy and material to produce glass objects using a 3D printing process that combines natural energy and material with high-tech production technology.”

“Solar-sintering aims to raise questions about the future of manufacturing and triggers dreams of the full utilisation of the production potential of the world’s most efficient energy resource: the sun. Whilst not providing definitive answers, this experiment aims to provide a point of departure for fresh thinking.”

Image 1: Printing process of a flat square glass tile. Photo by Amos Field Reid.
Image 2: Solar Sinter in the Saharan desert near Siwa, Egypt. Photo by Amos Field Reid.

Ruth Tamura
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘉𝘢𝘺 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘭
California College of Arts and Crafts
Oakland, California
1969

The Great Marble Tournament on Bay Fill is the graduate thesis work of Ruth Tamura, the first person to earn an MA in Glass from California College of Arts and Crafts in 1969. This large-scale installation and game of handblown glass marbles in a gallery filled with local sand is one of the earliest, if not the earliest, performance work in the field of glass.

Image 3: Ruth Yone Tamura. The glass of Ruth Yone Tamura. 1969. California Coll Artist Markus Kayser sintering sand into a glass square with a solar panel in the desert. by @geexglass

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7 days ago

Mark your calendars for the Fall 2026 Flame Affinity Group meeting! The next discussion, “The Economics of Teaching Flameworking,” will be held on Monday, November 2, from 6–7:30 US-Eastern.

📚 Teaching is an important part of many flameworkers' careers… but building a sustainable teaching practice is much more than demonstrating techniques. Join for a conversation about the financial realities of teaching flameworking and how educators are navigating opportunities and challenges today.

🔸 Whether you teach workshops occasionally or have built an entire career around education, we'll share practical strategies for creating rewarding and sustainable teaching practices. Bring your questions and experiences! (Newbies always welcome.)

🔥 The Flame Affinity Group is a discussion group open to artists, designers, fabricators, makers, and autodidacts working in and thinking with flameworking. Thanks to the group facilitators Amy Lemaire, Madeline Rile Smith, Beth Hylen, and Sally Prasch! @alstudio_education @madhotglass

➜ To register and join, visit our website! Link in bio. Flame Affinity Group [Hands flameworking a networked form] The Economics of Teaching Flameworking Monday, November 2, 2026 6:00-7:30pm US-Central by @geexglass

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8 days ago

The GEEX Writing Center is back and open for Fall 2026!

✍️ Want to refine and elevate your written work? Whether you need help with artist statements, graduate applications, fellowship proposals, or professional writing, the GEEX Writing Center is here for you. Meet with Sara Clugage or Ana Matisse Donefer-Hickie for expert feedback tailored to your needs.

📅 Save the date! Sara Clugage is offering a free Starter Bubble Writing Circle on artist statements on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 6 PM US Eastern. (Spots are limited, so sign up soon.)

🗓️ Want more personalized guidance? Reserve a one-on-one sliding-scale consult with Sara Clugage or Ana Matisse. 40-minute sessions are available on Monday–Wednesday and Sunday afternoons now through Sunday, December 13.

Consultations with @anamatease:
🔹 Mondays, from 5–6:00 PM US-Eastern
🔹 Wednesdays, from 5–6:00 PM US-Eastern
🔹 Sundays, from 1–3:00 PM US-Eastern

Consultations with @saraclugage:
🔸 Tuesdays, from 2–5:00 PM US-Eastern

📓 Please note: for the 2025–26 academic year, GEEX Writing Center services will be offered exclusively during the fall semester. Availability is limited, so reserve your consultation early!

➜ Need writing support? Book a 1-on-1 consult or register for the free Starter Bubble session! Link in bio. GEEX Writing Center Fall 2026 [A glass pen and ink pot] 1:1 Consults Available: 10/4-12/13 Starter Bubble Writing Circle: Artist Statements: 10/27 by @geexglass

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10 days ago

“Nightlife, by its nature, casts darkness around you through which you can hide, and be, and become.” Artist and curator Andres Payan Estrada (@andres_payan) explores the ways disco and the underground music scene unlock possibilities for community, queer joy, and new futures, in response to a question from Erin O’Connor (@erin_e_oconnor).

"Looking at disco and queer culture, and the futuring that it allows for: how do these trajectories animate your work?" Erin asks. “Could you talk more about how disco and nightlife opens up liminal spaces for new social worlds?”

“You could be with your partners, you could be with your friends, you could be in community during a time where your livelihood and your identity and who you are was being challenged,” Andres explains. “Not a lot of that has changed. There's still a need for these spaces, which is why I started to focus on queer nightlife spaces.”

“Being able to go out with my friends to these clubs, and seeing the possibilities of liberation and freedom of being who you wanted to be… I just visibly didn't see who I could be until I was in these spaces.”

“Thinking of nightlife spaces as places where you can transport yourself into a different planet or a different dimension,” he continues. “Literally thinking about that threshold when you walk into the [club] as, like, transporting yourself into a different world.”

To see Andres Payan Estrada’s work in person, check out the exhibition “Visiones Nocturnas: Queer Nightlife in Contemporary Art” at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego @mcasandiego.

To learn more, check out "Queer Nightlife and Disco Futures with Erin O'Connor & Andres Payan Estrada" on YouTube! (You’ll also get to hear some of the music he listened to while making his projects.) This short segment is part of Andres’ GEEX Talks episode, accessible in the GEEX Talks Subscriber Archive.

➜ Watch Andres Payan Estrada’s GEEX Shorts episode now! Link in bio. by @geexglass

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14 days ago

Save the date! Come join the BIPOC Community Table (BCT) on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 5 to 6:30 PM US-Central.

🤎 Whether you’re returning or new to the group, we’d love to see you at the table. If you haven’t come to a meeting before, this is a great opportunity to introduce yourself and get to know the community!

💚 Since Spring 2021, the BCT has offered an online gathering space for BIPOC in glass to connect, develop meaningful relationships, and support one another's work. The facilitators have connected a broad spectrum of artists, from high school graduates to new retirees, to cultivate fellowship across generations.

🤝 If you’d like to support the growth of this group, contact support(at)geex(dot)glass to sponsor an upcoming gathering. GEEX is proud to watch this group continue to expand and evolve.

➜ Want to register for the BCT? Read the Code of Conduct and sign up on the GEEX website. NEWBIES WELCOME BIPOC COMMUNITY TABLE Virtual Gathering October 22, 2026 5:00-6:30pm US-Central by @geexglass

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20 days ago

The print edition of GEEX Journal Volume II is here! Order at the link in our bio.

🔍 This issue centers on the GEEX Talks 2025–26 theme, “Material Life Cycles: Sand, Glass, and Practice”, and introduces new features to explore even more parts of the glass community. Along with articles on topics ranging from melting glass to the curatorial process, Vol. II features brilliant art by current glass students and an in-depth guide to graduate glass programs. (There’s more parts to list, but you really should see it for yourself.)

⏳ The GEEX team is incredibly grateful to the community who have made this volume so abundant and beautiful: the Season 6 speakers (@iamnehal @nasseralzayani @erin_e_oconnor @andres_payan); the artists and researchers who contributed artwork and writing (including @livio11 and @susiesilbert); and the many schools and partner organizations who shared details about their programs and their students’ work.

🌅 The GEEX Journal Vol. II is available for purchase in the GEEX Shop! Grab your copy today or sign up for a GEEX subscription to access exclusive digital content, discounts, and other perks. Keep an eye out—GEEX will be releasing featured material from Vol. II on the GEEX website over the next few months.

➜ Order your copy now! Link in bio. Photo of GEEX Journal Volume II’s front cover on sandy ground. by @geexglass

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22 days ago

Artist and curator Andres Payan Estrada shares stories about the transformation of petrified wood, the age of a meteorite from Campo del Cielo, beer bottles from various gay bars, the many lives of mylar, and more. @andres_payan

“These are objects I've drawn connections between based on their histories, materiality, ancestral connections, or deeper connections to space and geology,” Andres explains.

By telling object stories, Andres links materials, processes, objects, and imagery. These narratives unearth recurring themes in his work, including craft histories, material politics, human technology, space exploration, and ephemeral queer experiences.

⏯️ Featuring:
1. A ceramic vessel, purchased on eBay.
2. A slice of petrified wood.
3. A porcelain slipcast trophy.
4–6. Beer bottles from gay bars.
7. A meteorite from Campo del Cielo.
8. A disco ball.
9. A broken shot glass, found on the dance floor.
10. A broken piece of obsidian.
11. A mylar blanket.
12. Mylar confetti.
13–16. Obsolete iPhones.

For the full story, check out “Object Stories with Andres Payan Estrada” on YouTube! This short segment is part of Andres’ GEEX Talks episode, accessible in the GEEX Talks Subscriber Archive.

➜ Watch now! Link in bio. by @geexglass

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25 days ago

“One of the reasons why Bar Olímpico is my favorite space is the layering of generations within a queer nightlife space [with] such a deep history that is also serving newer audiences.” @andres_payan

In the latest GEEX Shorts episode, Andres Payan Estrada answers a round of rapid-fire questions. Topics include: file naming conventions, aluminum casting, and the life and work of Felix Gonzalez-Torres.

⚡ What's a recent experience that shifted your practice?
“Putting together my latest exhibition, I was able to track down the disco ball that used to be in the San Antonio Mining Co. bar. Being able to bring that disco ball back into the place and hang it back over the dance floor… That was like such a simple gesture, but one that really resonated with the way that I think about work, relation, and storytelling.”

⚡ Do you have a favorite beer bottle?
“Oh my god! I feel like my default is probably beer from Budweiser. It’s my favorite because it's the most drank beer: that means that I can collect all the beer bottles that are coming from a single source, and I don't have to worry about the [coefficients of expansion] of the glass bottles not matching up with each other.”

⚡ What makes you hopeful?
“Even in this era—where the digital realm sometimes pushes us apart—there are still communities where you actually are able to be in a tangible space among a community that continues to attune itself to the ways that we think about identity. There continue to be these people who maintain the safety of these spaces and the relevancy of them for more queer communities to come.”

Watch “Beer Bottles, Mirror Balls, and Queer Nightlife” on YouTube! This short segment is part of Andres’ GEEX Talks episode, accessible in the GEEX Talks Subscriber Archive.

➜ Watch Andres Payan Estrada’s GEEX Shorts episode now! Link in bio. by @geexglass

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a month ago